Crimp tool and a method of assembling thereof

ABSTRACT

A crimp tool and a method of assembling the crimp tool. A crimp tool is formed by a pair of plates ( 171 ) forming a moveable handle ( 17 ) of the tool, and a pair of frame plates ( 180 ) forming a fixed jaw ( 2 ) and a fixed handle ( 18 ) of the tool. The tool also includes a moveable jaw, and a transmission ( 10,11 ) by which the moveable jaw is driven towards and away from the fixed jaw. The plates ( 18 ) of the frame are mutually held in juxtaposition by having edge portions snugly received in a frame shell. Edges of the plates ( 171 ) of the moveable handle ( 17 ) are snugly received in grooves  144, 146  in a shell ( 40 ) for the moveable handle. The tool is assembled by stacking the plates of the moveable handle and the components of the moveable jaw and the link, as well as the frame plates, and then insertion of the stack into the frame shell, which preferably has a tubular portion into which the jaw portion of the stack is inserted.

The present invention refers to a manually operable crimp tool of the kind defined in the preamble of the appended independent claim to a crimp tool.

The present invention also refers to a method of assembling such crimp tool, of the kind defined in the preamble of the appended independent method claim.

Prior art crimp tools usually comprise two sub-assemblies, each of which comprises two juxtaposed similar plates which are held in parallel at a mutual distance. To this end, fasteners are used, for example rivet pins. Opposed ends of the rivet pins extend through corresponding holes in the plates of each subassembly. The pins have an intermediate body portion of a diameter larger than that of the plate holes, in order to define a minimum distance between the plates. In a riveting operation, the pin ends, which may extend out of the holes, are deformed or riveted. These subassemblies are then mutually connected by a transmission. The handles are provided with handle grip shells to increase the comfort of the operator.

In such prior art tools, the operation of fastening such fasteners, for example riveting such rivet pins, adds to the cost of the tool.

Moreover, the pins and axles that are necessary to pivotably connect the subassemblies to each other and to the transmission are usually axially locked in place by locking rings and the like, and this also increases the cost of the tools.

One object of the invention is to provide a tool and an assembly method for the tool which do not require any riveting operation.

This object is attained by the invention.

The intention is defined in the appended independent claims of the crimp tool and the method of assembling thereof.

Embodiments of the invention are defined in the appended dependent claims.

In the following, the invention will be further described in connection to referred embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a sketch illustrating the basic structure of

a manual crimping tool.

FIG. 2 shows an expanded side view of a sub-assembly of a crimp tool.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a section taken along line III-III in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a grip shell for the sub-assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows one of a pair of pivot frame plates to be fitted to the sub-assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a view over one side of a shell for the frame part of the crimp tool.

FIG. 7 shows a view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows a section taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a tool as assembled.

FIG. 10-13 show sections taken along lines A-A, B-B, D-D and C-C, respectively in FIG. 9.

FIG. 14 shows a section along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 4.

FIG. 1 shows a frame 1, comprising a jaw 2 and a handle 3. A moveable jaw 4 is linearly guided on the frame 1 by guides 5 (illustrated in principle). The moveable jaw 4 has a surface which is parallel to the active surface of the fixed jaw 2 and is driven by a transmission for parallel displacement. The transmission includes a first link 10 and a second link 11, which are mutually pivotably connected by a pin 24. The lower end of link 11 is pivotably connected to the fixed handle 3 by a pivot pin 35. The top end 15 of the first link 10 is curved and received in a curved recess 16 of the moveable jaw 4. A handle 17 is fixedly connected to the link 10. When the handle 17 is swung toward the fixed handle 3, the links 10 and 11 are mutually swung toward alignment, whereby the moveable jaw 4 is pushed by the link 10 in direction toward the fixed jaw 2.

A pair of crimp sockets 9 is located between the jaws 2, 4 and are clamped to a crimping end position when the links 10, 11 come near alignment.

The handle 17 (including the link 10) includes two parallel juxtaposed plates 171 (FIG. 2). The plates 171 have aligned holes 22, which receive a pivot pin 24, that extends through a bore in the end part of link 11. FIG. 2 shows that the moveable jaw 4 is formed by two parallel jaw plates 30 having guide slots 31 which receive corresponding elongated projections 32 on a holder 34 for the crimp sockets 9, which are received between the plates 30. The holder 31 also has a pair of opposited, directed aligned pins 33 which are received in corresponding holes 21 at the upper end of link 10.

The moveable jaw, the handle 17 and the link 11 are subassembled, and a handle grip shell 40 (FIG. 4) is fitted on the handle plates 171. The shell 40 comprises (FIG. 14) a spine 41 along the length thereof, which supports two parallel flanges 42 that overlie the plates 171. The exterior long edges of plates 171 are snugly received in grooves 43 in the shell spine 41, and are thus held in parallel at a predetermined distance from each other. Moreover, the grooves also hold the plates 171 juxtaposed. As shown in FIG. 2, the plates 171 can have one or more holes 23 which receive corresponding shallow protrusions from the insides of the shell flanges to further stabilize the press fit between the shell 40 and the handle 17.

The frame 1 is formed by two parallel plates 18 (FIG. 5) which are juxtaposed and mutually parallel and maintain a mutual distance by having the edges thereof snugly inserted into grooves on the inside of a frame shell 140 (FIGS. 6, 7, 8).

FIG. 3 illustrates that the ends 25 of the axle pin 24 are received in the openings 22 of the plates 171. The enlarged intermediate portion of pin 24 supports the plates 171, and the pin ends 25 do not protrude from the plates. The pin 24 does not have to perform any axially supporting function, since the plates 171 are held at a mutual distance defined by the grooves on the inside of the spine in shell 40.

FIG. 5 illustrates that the frame 1 is formed by a pair of juxtaposed identical frame plates 18 including a handle portion 180 and a head portion 181 having a recess 182. The plates 18 have guide slits 131 for the protrusions 32 of the holder 31.

The frame shell 140 is shown to have a generally U-shaped handle portion 141 and a head portion 142, which receives the head portion 181 of the frame plates. As can be seen from FIGS. 7 and 8, the head portion 142 has a tubular cross section, at the transition between the handle part 141 and the head part 142.

The handle portion 141 has a general U-shape including a spine 143 which covers the exterior edge of the handle of the frame, and two flanges which cover the opposed exterior sides of the pair of plates 18. The spine 143 has grooves 144 which snugly receive and grip the adjacent edges of plates 18 to hold them parallel and juxtaposed. FIG. 8 clearly shows that the frame shell 140 has a spine 145 also along the side opposite to spine 143 and along the top end 147 of the head portion 142. Grooves 146 are arranged along the inside of spine 145 and serve to further stabilize the mutual positioning and distance for plates 18. FIG. 8 also shows shallow protrusions 148 which can be received in corresponding openings (122, 126) in plates 18 to improve the engagement of the plates in the shell 140.

FIG. 8 also shows that the spines 143, 145 slightly converge toward the top end 147 of a shell 140, and that the tubular part of the shell 140 offers strength to the shell 140.

The link arm 11 is shown to comprise a prior art adjustment device 80, which permits adjustment to the effective length of link 11 between its connections 24, 35 to the handles 17 and 18. The subassembly is also shown to comprise a prior art ratchet device 90, which ensures that the crimp tool must be fully closed to an end position before it can be reopened for a new crimping operation. The ratchet device 90 normally includes a pivot pin 26 which is inserted through aligned holes in the handle plates 171 and supports a pawl 29 which can be swung around said pin to and from engagement with a row of teeth on a head of link 11. The pawl is in turn biased by a spring 84.

The shells 40, 140 are to advantage made from a moulded plastics material. Starting from the subassembly according to FIG. 2, the shells 40 can be fitted to the plates 171 to stabilize the subassembly. Then the frame plates 18 can be laid on opposite sides of the finished subassembly so that the guide slots 131 receive the protrusions 32 extending through the slits 31. This assembly which in principle is constituted by a stack of elements which are only loosely held together, is now inserted into the tubular part of the frame shell 140 so that the edges of plates 18 engage the grooves 144, 146 therein. The tool is now operatively assembled, and can be taken into operation.

The pairs of plates 171, 171 and 18, 18, are held in mutual positions by the grooves in the respective shell so that the plates 171, 180 can take the forces from the links and the jaws during operation.

The juxtaposition of the pairs of plates 171, 171, 18, 18, can be supported by pins extending through aligned holes in each pair. As the plates of the plate pairs are supported by the shells, they can be held at a slight distance from each other. Pins and axles do not have to be fastened. 

1. A crimp tool comprising a frame (1) which includes a first fixed handle (3) and a first fixed jaw (2), and a second moveable handle (17), which is pivotable in relation to the frame and which includes a first pivotable link (10), that is included in a transmission (10, 11) between the frame (1) and a moveable jaw (4), which is moveable in relation to the fixed jaw (2) by the transmission (10, 11) in response to mutual pivoting of the handles (3, 17), wherein each of the frame (1) and the moveable handle (17) includes two juxtaposed parallel separated plates (171, 171; 18, 18), wherein the moveable handle (17) is provided with a grip shell (40) including a spine (41), which covers the exterior edge of the moveable handle (17) and two parallel flanges (42) which overlie the exterior sides of the plates (171) of the moveable handle, and wherein the frame handle is provided with a shell (140) including a spine (143), which covers the exterior edge of the fixed handle (3) and two parallel flanges which overlie the exterior main sides of the plates (18) of the frame, characterized in that the spine (143, 41) of each of the shells (40, 140) have, on the inside thereof, a pair of parallel grooves (43, 144) in which the plates (171; 180) of the respective pair are received and held mutually parallel and juxtaposed.
 2. A crimp tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the flanges of the frame shell are extended to cover a head portion (181) of the frame plates, including the fixed jaw (2), that the frame shell has a tubular portion surrounding the transition between the handle portion and the head portion of the frame, and that the tubular shell portion have opposite spines connecting the flanges thereof and having parallel grooves which receive opposite edge portions of the frame plates
 18. 3. A crimp tool according to claim 2, characterized in that that frame plates (8) have guide slots (131) which receive projections (32) on the moveable jaw.
 4. A method of assembling a crimp tool according to claim 1, wherein the plates (171) of the moveable handle (17) is placed on opposite side of the link (11) and the moveable jaw, and are connected to them via respective pins (24, 33) which protrude from opposite sides of the link (11) and the moveable jaw, that a frame plate (18) is laid on a respective plate (171) of the moveable handle (17), and that the link (11) is pivotably connected to the pair of frame plates (180) and that the shells (40, 140) are fitted to receive the edges of the plate pairs (171, 180) in the shell grooves (43, 146, 144). 